Libra 2 How to Restore My Libra 2 to Its Original Condition

[repilo]

Because it has entered a state where it freezes several times a day and I have to restart it—or it restarts on its own—I’ve tried several strategies that so far haven’t worked:

• I reinstalled firmware 4.38.23171
  
• I downgraded to Calibre 7.26
  
• Factory reset and then returned to Calibre 8
  
• Uninstalled NickelMenu
  
• Installed the second-to-last firmware version: kobo-update-4.38.23038

It still keeps freezing/restarting.
What else can I try? Do I really have to resort—though I’d rather not—to replacing the SD card?

[DNSB]

You may have to resort to that. You might want to try removing the current µSD card, creating an image from it and then writing that image to a replacement µSD card. Just be careful with removing all the waterproofing coating from the card socket.

[Dirk-71]

Have you done a factory reset (hard reset) as described here?

https://youtu.be/5CTup4KZvPI

[repilo]

I did the factory reset using the option that is in the menu, not as the video says (pressing two buttons at once).

Do you think that will change anything?

Apparently both methods get to the same point, where you have to choose the language, etc...

[repilo]

I just did a factory reset from the “Developers options” menu, as DNSB says in:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...65&postcount=2

Another item is that unless you have enabled developer mode and used the factory reset from Settings => Device settings => Developer Options => Factory reset your eReader or used a manual factory reset, the system partition will not be reset to factory and NickelMenu would not be removed.

Let’s see if we get lucky.

[repilo]

Originally Posted by DNSB

You may have to resort to that. You might want to try removing the current µSD card, creating an image from it and then writing that image to a replacement µSD card. Just be careful with removing all the waterproofing coating from the card socket.

From my ignorance, if something is wrong with my SD card, does it make sense for me to create an image of it to write to another new card? Won't it pass the problem to the new one?

At this point, wouldn't it be better to request an image on the forum?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by repilo

From my ignorance, if something is wrong with my SD card, does it make sense for me to create an image of it to write to another new card? Won't it pass the problem to the new one?

At this point, wouldn't it be better to request an image on the forum?

You are better off getting an image to write to a new card. One of the problems is that the goop on SD card in the Libra 2 could get in the card reader if you don't fully remove it.

[Dirk-71]

Originally Posted by repilo

Do you think that will change anything?

There is a difference. The method using the hardware keys does wipe it this way, that you'll get the reader in the same condition as you get it when it is new - with a scheme that shows how to turn on the reader. I would give it a try.

[repilo]

I have tried all three factory reset methods that I know of: from the normal menu, from the developers options menu and by pressing two buttons at once for 30 seconds.

I have not installed NickelMenu or kobopatch, just in case.

The Kobo is still crashing.

Sometimes when I go back to the home menu the covers of the book list have disappeared, other times when I try to open another book in the list it says that the file does not exist and if I keep trying to move through the menus it ends up restarting by itself.

I'm going to the image request post...

[DNSB]

I've sent the image links but since you will need to remove the original µSD card, you may want to try creating an image from that card, writing to a new card and then installing the new card in your Libra 2.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I've sent the image links but since you will need to remove the original µSD card, you may want to try creating an image from that card, writing to a new card and then installing the new card in your Libra 2.

But that does require making 100% sure you get all the goop off of the card before putting it in a card reader as it can damage the card reader.

[DNSB]

Jon, stop trying to teach Granny to suck eggs.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Jon, stop trying to teach Granny to suck eggs.

Granny should already know how to suck eggs.

[repilo]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I've sent the image links but since you will need to remove the original µSD card, you may want to try creating an image from that card, writing to a new card and then installing the new card in your Libra 2.

That's just what I just did. I removed with some difficulty the original µSD and extracted an image of it with the Windows application “USB Image Tool”. I then burned it to an µSD of the same size (32 GB) that I had once used on an Android phone. I put it in the Libra 2 and it did not respond at all to attempts to turn it on or to reboot it with two buttons.

I then extracted another image from the original µSD but now with the “HDD Raw Copy Tool” application.

I have generated the hashes of those two images and they are different.

I tried to burn this second image on ANOTHER µSD of the same size that I had also used in a phone, and this time it managed to boot the Libra 2.

Unfortunately I can not know if what failed in the first attempt was the card or the extraction/burning software of the image.

Now I have to see if the Kobo continues to suffer reboots every so often or I will have to copy one of the images you have sent me and I am very grateful.

[repilo]

I have successfully cloned my original image to a new µSD, and so far I haven't had any problems with my Libra 2 again, so this is just out of curiosity.

The image I created from my original µSD is 32 GB in size, which is reduced to 2 GB zip compressed.

The image that DNSB kindly sent me is only 900 MB (400 MB compressed).

It is true that when I created the image I had 3 epubs on the Kobo, but that doesn't explain the difference in size.

Come to think of it, the Kobo had started from a factory reset and then automatically updated the FW; is it possible that this has accumulated on the µSD increasing the space occupied?